Over a Decade of Despair – The Howard Government and Indigenous Affairs

Description

During its eleven years in office, the Howard Government radically reshaped the policy area of Indigenous Affairs. Indigenous self-determination and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission were abolished. Reconciliation was redefined to simply mean the addressing of Indigenous socio-economic conditions. Australians were encouraged not to genuinely acknowledge the historical injustices inflicted upon Indigenous people. The native title rights of Indigenous people were significantly weakened. The stolen generations never received an apology from the Howard Government. 

This is the first book to analyse the impact of the Howard Government on Indigenous Affairs. The book gathers together a number of scholars who detail the influence of the Howard Government on several, interrelated areas of Indigenous Affairs: self-determination, native title, the stolen generations, reconciliation, the history wars, Indigenous socio-economic conditions and the post-ATSIC era. Overall, the book argues that the Howard Government implemented substantial changes to Indigenous Affairs that did not address Indigenous aspirations and significantly diminished Indigenous rights.